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To say that these are interesting times in the investment management industry would be an understatement. We sat down with more than 30 Chief Executive Officers from firms across Europe to gauge their thoughts on the state of the industry. The results were illuminating. Five key areas influencing the industry geopolitical instability, regulatory change, changes to distribution models, due diligence and transparency and impact on new potential marketing players.

Global markets continue to regroup in the wake of the worst financial crisis in memory. While the eurozone appears to have stabilized of late, there are fundamental unresolved issues that could see the region slip into crisis any moment. In addition, many observers remain skeptical because of the serious governance challenges facing many of these regions. Then, of course, there’s the unrelenting storm of regulatory change that continues to drive industry transformation in markets around the world. And as the backdrop to all of this, the financial services industry continues to scramble to rebuild the public trust that was shattered in the aftermath of the financial crisis. Further complicating matters is the fact that a new crop of industry disruptors is threatening to alter the landscape of the investment management industry beyond recognition.

While this wave of rapid, transformative change will undoubtedly leave a number of casualties in its wake, many of the leaders we spoke with suggest it will also present valuable opportunities for the most proactive, agile and forward-thinking players to evolve, adapt and continue to lead the industry in the years to come.